The Mediterranean emerald (Somatochlora meridionalis) is the most common species of the emerald dragonflies in our country. It usually measures 50 to 55 mm in length, and its wingspan is about 7.5 cm.
The body is copper-green in color with a pronounced metallic sheen. For this species, a yellow spot on the side of the thorax and a dark, almost black, pterostigma are characteristic.
The male and female are similar in coloration, but can be distinguished by the shape of the abdomen. The male's abdomen is distinctly narrowed behind the thorax and then club-shaped. The female's abdomen, however, is not tapered, but is widest behind the thorax and gradually narrows toward the end.
The Mediterranean emerald is a dweller in flowing waters, with the larvae only rarely living elsewhere. The larvae of this species show exceptional adaptability and resilience to adverse living conditions, as they survive in drying streams even when conditions do not permit other dragonfly larvae to do so. The species, however, requires that its habitat be in the shade, so we will not find the larvae in exposed parts of watercourses.
The Mediterranean emerald is a distinctly summer species, in which adults appear in June and then fly until August. They also avoid sunny heat even as adults and prefer to fly in the shade of riparian trees or even in cloudy weather. Males, flying low above the ground and along a precisely marked path, patrol long stretches of their watercourse. During rapid flight, they often pause and for a moment or two, as if weightless, hover in the air…
